crazyal
Super Member
A couple of months ago I picked up a used Herd 750s spreader. It had been left on it's side with fertilizer still in it for some time. I got it for a pretty good price. My original plan was to patch the holes and use it the way it was. But I ended up rebuilding it from the ground up. I ended up cutting the hopper off and throwing it away and building my own out of 1/8" steel (much thicker than stock). I also replaced the fan and the aluminum base plate for the hopper as they were corroded from the fertilizer (or salt). Since they didn't cost much I bought new shafts going into and out of the gear box along with new seals.
I also built a frame out of 1 1/2" 1/8" angle with expanded metal that slide over the top. It'll keep anything too large, like rocks or ice, from getting put into the hopper if mixed into the sand.
I think it's a little small for my tractor. If I lower the 3pt all the way down the PTO shaft will hit the draw bar. The draw bar is used to hold the rear of the sub frame up so I'm thinking I'll get a piece of steel that's shorter but otherwise the same dimension as the draw bar so they don't interfere.
I still have to install the gate at the bottom of the hopper. I have a piece of stainless I'm going to use for it. I haven't even looked at the auger inside the hopper to see what that will need. I also haven't painted the part for the top yet. I put stainless weld nuts inside the hopper to fasten it to the hopper.
I also built a frame out of 1 1/2" 1/8" angle with expanded metal that slide over the top. It'll keep anything too large, like rocks or ice, from getting put into the hopper if mixed into the sand.
I think it's a little small for my tractor. If I lower the 3pt all the way down the PTO shaft will hit the draw bar. The draw bar is used to hold the rear of the sub frame up so I'm thinking I'll get a piece of steel that's shorter but otherwise the same dimension as the draw bar so they don't interfere.
I still have to install the gate at the bottom of the hopper. I have a piece of stainless I'm going to use for it. I haven't even looked at the auger inside the hopper to see what that will need. I also haven't painted the part for the top yet. I put stainless weld nuts inside the hopper to fasten it to the hopper.